Gift cards are so impersonal.
May 11, 2011 2:12 PM   Subscribe

I need "Thank you." gift suggestions for someone I barely know, who recently did me a huge favor.

While spending a week at a cave rescue seminar in Puerto Rico, I fell in love with one of the stray dogs that hung around the camp, and my heart nearly broke when I found out they would probably all be rounded up and dumped elsewhere when it came time for the camp to be inspected (While they weren't official camp dogs, and weren't being cared for, they seemed to have a pretty decent life there, compared to a lot of the strays on the island.).

I was travelling with a small group of friends, with a pretty set itinerary, and had neither the time nor local resources available to try to adopt the dog in the short time I was there after the class. A fellow student, who had also fallen for the dog (Everyone had! She's a total sweetheart.), was sticking around the island an extra week after the course ended and generously offered to do the legwork required to get her off the island and to me.

Of course I reimbursed her expenses, but I feel that something like that deserves a significant token of appreciation.

Problem is, I only knew this girl for the week I was there, so it's hard to come up with something personally meaningful, but a gift card seems so impersonal.

What I know about her: Early 20s, caver, welder, non-drinker, geeky (Geeky in the likes comic books, video games, and sci-fi sense.), animal lover, traveller, Harley rider, and if it makes any difference, she's spending the summer in CO.

Help me come up with a great gift to show my gratitude. Alternately, convince me that gift cards don't suck, and that I should just send a heartfelt thank you note with a gift card.

obligatory dog picture
posted by zen_spider to Human Relations (16 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Response by poster: Oops. Forgot to add price range. Thinking around $100 but could be convinced to go slightly over for something sufficiently awesome.
posted by zen_spider at 2:15 PM on May 11, 2011


A targeted gift card might be your ideal option here. I mean, you don't know her particularly well, so it'll be hard to pick out something you know she'll appreciate. But she's a caver? Traveler? Outdoorsy type in general, I bet? Then a gift card to an REI or EMS or whatever big outdoor-gear chain she'll have access to might be just the thing.
posted by Tomorrowful at 2:18 PM on May 11, 2011 [1 favorite]


A gift card and a note saying what you said here would be perfectly appropriate.
"I can't possibly express how much this means to me."
posted by Etrigan at 2:18 PM on May 11, 2011


Ohhhhh, look at that adorable face!

Perhaps a gift card along with a small framed photo of your new best friend? If she fell in love with the dog too, she might really appreciate a photo of her as a memento.
posted by annaramma at 2:20 PM on May 11, 2011 [5 favorites]


She sounds like the type to be touched by a significant donation to an animal rescue society or nature preservation society in her name.
posted by Ashley801 at 2:28 PM on May 11, 2011 [14 favorites]


A framed photo of you and the dog, in which the dog looks as happy as she feels, along with a nice letter describing the new life she helped the dog begin.
posted by amtho at 2:41 PM on May 11, 2011


ashley 801 PLUS amtho
A lovely story, by the way.
posted by uans at 2:48 PM on May 11, 2011 [1 favorite]


My substitute for a gift card is to buy something from an easily accessible store they would likely shop at, and give it to that person with a gift receipt.

If she likes comic books, maybe consider getting her several books of a series like Y The Last Man, but buy it from Chapters or somewhere really common so she can return them easily if she already has them or isn't into that series. And then ship it to her. If I were to randomly buy a lot of comics for someone who's into them but I don't know which ones, I'd go with Y, no question. Books are kinda heavy tho.

My boyfriend's the outdoors-y type and I don't think he ever gets tired of receiving gear and gadgets as presents - that stuff gets worn out! Just pick something cool and useful.
posted by lizbunny at 2:49 PM on May 11, 2011


I think just photo and handwritten note is best.

Gift cards get lost or forgotten, it's hard to get the amount right and to me they seem like a sentence to go to some retail hell. Like, thanks for the sentiment, but now I have to go to Bed Bath and Beyond? hooray? I'm probably not representative so take my opinion with some huge grains of salt.
posted by fzx101 at 2:54 PM on May 11, 2011


Harley rider you say? A gift certificate from Motorcycle Gear ( formerly New Enough) the go-to online resource for motorcycle accessory shopping. Great everyday deals, and seriously crazy specials and close-outs. I doubt if there is a motorcycle rider who uses the Inter-tubes who isn't familiar with them. Trust me when I tell you that one can never have enough motorcycle stuff.
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 3:36 PM on May 11, 2011 [1 favorite]


I think multi-tools are good gifts for outdoorsy folks and travelers (I could receive a different one for my birthday for many years to come, and find a use for each of them). A low-cost, durable, very functional one I like is the Gerber Crucial, but there are zillions of them. You can get it from REI and enclose the gift receipt.
posted by itstheclamsname at 4:59 PM on May 11, 2011


Best answer: Let me tell you about Gift Theory!

This calls for a classic trifecta package. One gift could be a bit too hit or miss, and two gifts feels awkward, one becomes the superior and one the inferior. But three gifts, that's the sweet spot. It shows overwhelming and well-thought out gratitude. For this trifecta I think you want one personal gift, one value gift and one abstract gift.

-Personal Gift: This is something you can't buy in a store, something low key, possibly something you make yourself. In this case it should feature the (adorable) dog in question. A card you make yourself from a photo of the dog, or a picture of the dog in a nice, small frame.

-Abstract Gift: Something nice that doesn't go directly to the recipient, generally a gift to a charity in the recipients name. In this case a $50 donation to some kind of shelter or animal rescue program would be a great idea (as Ashley801 said earlier).

-Value Gift: Solve problems by throwing money at them. You don't know her too well, so $50 gift card is perfectly appropriate. With gift cards you're playing a kind of Price is Right game. You want to be as specific as possible without making the card inconvenient to redeem or not worth it's full value to the recipient. So an Amazon card almost always works, but feels less personal than a card to a specific store you know she likes. Gift certificates to brick-and-mortar or specialty stores can be tricky if not chosen wisely.

So there you have a gift package just over $100 value. The package as a whole packs a bit more punch than just a letter and a photo or just a $100 gift certificate she might never redeem.

Gift Theory!
posted by Garm at 5:07 PM on May 11, 2011 [30 favorites]


I'm going with the card and a picture of you and the dog looking happy as all get out.
posted by puddinghead at 6:09 PM on May 11, 2011


Response by poster: Great answers all around. I'm leaning toward Garm's trifecta.

Either way, I've got a lot of good suggestions to mull over now. Thanks!
posted by zen_spider at 9:07 PM on May 11, 2011


Well, the first thing you're going to want to do is send me that dog because it's very important that I give her a smooch on the top of her pretty little head.


Definitely a photo of the dog enjoying her excellent new lifestyle and a handwritten note. Maybe a donation to an animal shelter or a gift card to REI or somesuch.

But mainly I need that dog.

At least feed her some treats for me, please.
posted by Neofelis at 4:07 PM on May 12, 2011


Maybe a gift card to restaurant near where she'll be staying in Colorado? If she'll be near Fort Collins (or, I see now that I look at their website, Boulder), Lucile's is amazing. Restaurant gift cards can be fun because they force you to go out someplace nice, but don't force you to accrue more objects.

also, omg adorable dog.
posted by dizziest at 4:31 PM on May 12, 2011


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